 was on the treadmill. 'It was such a pleasant surprise. I said 'good morning' to him and saw he was there with his son. 'We ended up all having a picture. I was a bit surprised and shocked that he was in there but what a lovely man, a legend of the game. Honestly it was an absolute pleasure to speak to him. 'I didn't ask him for any advice. I didn't really want to ask for a picture, but then his son asked me - and I thought 'I've got to seize this opportunity and ask him for one.' 'What a lovely guy. I think it speaks volumes about him - and I think everybody knows his footballing ability.' Stones scored a sensational goal as City came from 2-0 down to win the first game of their pre-season tour against Japanese champions Yokohama Marinos 5-3. They now face Bayern Munich before moving on to South Korea t){kind=link}
England defender John Stones played a remarkable part in Manchester City’s treble triumph last term, operating in a hybrid role for Pep Guardiola who has stuck with the ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer through thick and thin at the Etihad.
John Stones is such a talent that even Andreas Iniesta posted a picture of himself posing with the Manchester City defender on his Instagram account.
Stones, the centre-back nicknamed the ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’ earlier in his career because of his imperious style on the ball, transformed himself into a classy midfield enforcer for Pep Guardiola last season as City made history by winning the Treble.
When he bumped into Iniesta in his local gym during his summer break, he was stunned when the former Barcelona midfielder’s young son, Paolo, asked him to pose for a selfie – and couldn’t resist requesting a souvenir of his own.
Stones isn’t isn’t quite ready to change his sobriquet to the ‘Etihad Iniesta’ – but it’s a measure of his growing stature that one of Guardiola’s favourite players recognises the quality of the England international.